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Infant humor perception from 3- to 6-months and attachment at one year

Gina Mireault1, John Sparrow, Merlin Poutre

  • 1Johnson State College, Johnson, VT 05656, United States. Gina.Mireault@jsc.edu

Infant Behavior & Development
|September 18, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Infant humor development, measured by smiles and laughs, is linked to later secure attachment. Lower infant humor at six months predicted greater attachment security by twelve months.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Infant Behavior
  • Attachment Theory

Background:

  • Secure attachment in infancy is crucial, fostered by parental emotional synchrony.
  • Humor development, including shared laughter, emerges alongside attachment, but their relationship is unclear.
  • Understanding early humor's role in attachment can inform parenting and developmental interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between infant humor development and attachment security in the first year.
  • To differentiate between state humor (momentary expressions) and trait humor (tendency) in infants.
  • To explore how early humor predicts later attachment outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Thirty 3-month-old infants were videoed monthly until 6 months, with parents attempting to elicit amusement.
  • Infant smiles and laughs were recorded as "state humor".
  • The Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (smiling/laughing subscale) measured "trait humor"; attachment security was assessed using the Attachment Q-sort at 12 months.

Main Results:

  • State and trait humor measures were not significantly correlated.
  • Lower trait humor at 6 months predicted higher attachment security at 12 months (r=.46).
  • This suggests a potential reciprocal relationship between infant humor, parental engagement, and attachment.

Conclusions:

  • Early infant humor, particularly trait humor, may play a role in the development of secure attachment.
  • Less humorous infants might elicit increased parental engagement, benefiting attachment security.
  • Further research is needed to explore the interplay of smiling, laughter, and other developmental aspects in infancy.

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